Early Itinerary 11-12 days

Can't you fly into Florence and out or Rome?

Don't know if I will be answering your question but I am a PLANNER. Already have firmed up travel to southern Italy for Nov 2024. I do it now so the train/ferry/bus schedule (solo, F, 75+) willbe similar to itinerary planned out.

Rome many times, Florence for a month in 2009 when I retired and AC planned for early Nov 2024.

Florence, love it but it is imperative to check the opening/closing times of places you want to visit. I like to say the museum is closed on the first Monday after the full moon every other month! Rome is still more dependent on times tickets than other plasces. AC--I am basing myself in Sorrento making it easier for the limited ferry schedule I will find in Nov. Not what you mean by love the water--see it or swim in it? AC towns are apparently very touristy and I think I just read 3 out of 4 shops were women's clothing! Ravello is supposedly one of the better towns but you might consider reducing AC by a day as it appears to me to be same, same, same just with a different name. You can only wander so much in these very hilly/steep towns.

Enjoy.

Can you fly into Naples and back from Florence? If so, that will eliminate a lot of time backtracking. Just a possibility to explore.

Janet,

I am a planner as well. I have been consumed with research the past month with planning our 1st ever trip to Italy. I’m not much of a museum or art person but I realize there’s things I must see in Rome and Florence. I’m torn with how many days to spend in each. The family and I would much rather tour the rolling hills and landscapes of Tuscany in Siena, Montalcino and Montepulciano. Wife and I are into visiting wineries so that idea really excites us. Plus the Amalfi Coast is another area we don’t want to miss. Still trying to get the wife to go for a full 2 weeks. That would help in my planning. We plan on leaving Chicago on May 5th till ?. I do like the idea of flying into Florence and then returning home from Rome as was suggested by another poster. I’ll keep reading old and new posts on this forum and asking questions. Thanks all!

i would say you don't need a full four nights in florence. if you're flying into florence (or train or whatever), do two nights there then rent a car and two a couple nights in montepulciano or pienza, and then do the rest of the drive through tuscany to rome and drop your car off there. being able to have a car and just see a cute tuscan town that you decide to stop in is wonderful. rome will be busy but not sweltering, so it's still a good time of year to walk around all the neighborhoods and see stuff on foot, stop and grab a gelato/spritz in the pm, and watch the world go by. you'll get plenty of colosseum/forum/pantheon/trevi etc. sightseeing in, but prioritize some time to just wander and soak up the city. same with amalfi coast. it's all beautiful (if touristy) down there, but give yourself ample time to lie on a beach, wander into cafes, etc.

Where are you staying on the Amalfi Coast? It is not an easy place to travel to and you will waste a good chunk of a day getting there from Florence. We based ourselves in Sorrento for 11 days in April; which actually isn't on the AC but it suited our purposes because our focus was more on Pompeii and the other Vesuvius eruption sites. Transportation is slow, confusing, and chaotic, especially with luggage.

You mention you're not much of a museum person but feel there are some sites you should still visit. I'd highly recommend a guide to help you understand the stories behind the ruins and art. It may help you get a better appreciation of what you're seeing. We loved Through Eternity Tours. We've used their group tours 3 times in Rome and have never been disappointed. I believe they also offer tours in Florence.

Swimwithjohn,

Love your suggestion. Spent all last night looking at 2 night itineraries in Florence and then for accommodations in Montepulciano. As far as a car rental in Florence, I've read on a couple forums to rent from the airport. I've read you can return the car to the Florence train station instead of back to the airport for a small fee (11 euros?) What would you recommend?

Allan,

My tentative plan is to take the hi speed train from Florence to Salerno. Take the ferry from Salerno to Positano and use that as my base for 2 nights. We want to spend one day in Capri and the other day going to Amalfi and Ravello. I know there are places as far as museums and such that cannot be missed in Florence, I'm just not sure I need 3 or 4 days there.

The amount of time you need to spend in Florence is dependent on what you want to see. Florence can be intense imo, and the sightseeing doubly so. Decide now what you think you can pull off, really one thing in the morning and another in the afternoon max. That first day will be a wash in this regard.

I’m just going to throw this out there, but it sounds like you’re going to Florence more because you “have to” than you want to. If you’re more interested in Tuscan wine country than art, staying in a smaller town like Siena or Lucca might be more appealing. Personally, I didn’t care for Florence the city much. I mean, aside from its incomparable art and history, I didn’t exactly get the charm.

Where I’m ultimately getting at is that I think you should find a couple extra nights for the Amalfi Coast area. There’s just so much to see. The AC has a knack for eating time, and you’ll regret shortchanging yourself here. And as you have it now, you’ll be spending a long day getting from Florence. Add a couple nights in Sorrento perhaps, and this gets a little more comfortable. You could make a real case for cutting out Florence altogether and exploring this area in full. I look at it this way: you can always add Florence onto another trip that focuses on Tuscany, or a classic Florence/Venice trip, but it’s unlikely you’ll be “bouncing back” to the Amalfi Coast the same way. If you’re that keen on the AC, you should really make it worth your while.

Just my 2 cents … I love Impressionism and can’t get enough of it when I’m in France, but Renaissance, Baroque and other Italian styles don’t do anything for me when I’m in Italy. Also not into seeing a big handful of Italian churches … just not my cup of tea. But I still love Italy (mostly the scenery, architecture, food and ancient ruins).
My point to the OP is: don’t spend precious time on your vacation doing stuff you’re pretty sure you have no interest in just because it’s classified as a “must see/do.” There’s MORE than enough to see and do that does interest you.

Thanks Awrzesinski and Shelly

I suggest you start by looking at flights, as Florence may not be the best airport to fly into, even if you want to visit the city. The airport is small and has fewer flights, which may or may not line up with the overseas flight from your home airport. I know that when my sone spent a year in Florence for study, he did not use that airport; he much preferred Pisa. Or use Rome as you originally intended: the train ride from the Rome airport (FCO) to Florence is only 2.5 hours.

However you get to Florence, when you are ready to pick up your rental car to tour Tuscany, it is a good idea to get it at the airport or at least somewhere outside the dreaded ZTL zone in central Florence (I do not know if that includes the train station location). And do not return it to Florence—-find a small town with good train connections to Salerno and no ZTL issues to deal with. Orvieto would work—-a delightful hill town worthy of a visit in its own right. This town is 42 miles south of Montepulciano, about an hour’s drive. Visit Siena, Pienza, or wherever from Montepulciano, then drive down to Orvieto to turn in the car and catch the train. The ride to Salerno is 3 hours 50 minutes, with a single change at Roma Termini.

Note the suggestion to look into flying out from Naples—-closer to your Amalfi Coast time. This would reverse the order of visiting your places to put Rome first, then Tuscany/Florence, then Salerno/Amalfi coast.

Take the ferry from Salerno to Positano and use that as my base for 2
nights. We want to spend one day in Capri and the other day going to
Amalfi and Ravello.

2 nights will only give you one full sightseeing day so you'd need to decide between Capri or Amalfi/Ravello. It's not enough time to do both.

Welcome to the forum!
A first visit to Italy is exciting!

A few things that I don’t see mentioned above:

First- go for as many days as you can- 14-15 would be much better than 11-12. Your biggest expense will be airfare- same cost no matter how many nights you stay.

Be clear on how much time you actually have. Count your trip in NIGHTS on the ground in Italy- not days.

A 2 night stay means 1.5 days in a location- for example- you post 2 nights in Positano- that gives you 1 full day. You won’t arrive there til mid-late afternoon after multiple changes, etc- just enough time to check in, get settled, see a bit of the town and find dinner.
You don’t have time for Capri and Amalfi and Ravello. Choose one or add nights.

TBH I would not stay in Positano. Amalfi is the transportation hub and if you’ve read any of the posts here about visiting the AC you will now know that transportation along the coast can be brutal, time consuming and weather dependent.
Do your kids like high end shopping? That is what you will find in Positano- along with hordes of tourists, thousands of steep steps and overpriced cafes. It’s very pretty from the water though. The beach there is not a sandy beach- it is very tiny and rocky.

You mention several times how much you like wine country/visiting wineries so make that a priority.
If you rent a car you will need a designated driver if you are going to drink even a little bit of wine. The alcohol limits in Italy are even less than in USA.
A solution to this is to hire a driver or take a guided tour where all of you can enjoy the views and countryside and wineries. Driver misses out on a lot and navigator does as well.
Another solution is to just do your tasting in town where you are staying when you are not driving- lots of opportunities for this in Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino.

I’m going to suggest you skip the AC this trip- it’s just such a pain to navigate transportation, travel time is not quick- getting there and leaving there. With a short trip like yours (if you stick with 10-12 days you will use up 2 full days on that transportation alone).

Venice has lots of water, Venice has a real beach with sand. Venice is the most unique city in the world and makes a super great place to get over jet lag.
There’s a reason many first trips are the “Holy Trinity”- Venice- Florence- Rome. Travel is easy and each city has different types of things to see and do.

Fly into Venice
Venice 3 nights- take a vaporetto out to Burano, Torcello or spend a day at Lido.

Train to Florence- fast, direct
Florence 2 nights- pick 2 or 3 important things and don’t feel you have to visit every museum- there are dozens in Florence. We’ve been there a few times so the last visit was 4 nights- we didn’t enter a single museum.
Wander around the Oltrarno, climb the Duomo, consider a food tour, have lunch at Mercato Centrale, shop at San Lorenzo market.
The one thing I would be sure to see is The David.

Next- if you decide to pick up a car- pick up at train station or airport (airport will cost slightly more). Roberto has always provided members here with excellent direction to get out of Florence center avoiding the ZTLs. You will need a car big enough for 4 plus your luggage. Luggage should be hidden if you plan to stop anywhere en route.
We love the Val d’Orcia area for driving around. Stay in Montepulciano, Pienza or Montalcino.
Spend 3 nights here.

cont.

If you decide not to rent a car then go to Siena and stay there instead. From Siena you can book a tour with
ToursbyRoberto.com. I don’t know how much that would cost but with 4 people it is probably reasonable when you consider car rental rates, gas, parking, etc. He gets rave reviews and knows the area very well. I believe you can customize.

One thing- the wineries in Tuscany are not set up like wineries in Wine Country- Calif for example. My family lives in Sonoma County- so I am very familiar with wineries ;) you can’t just drop in for tasting, most require appointments. A good guide/driver will know where to take you and can set up those visits.

If you do rent a car- drive to Chiusi to drop it off. (Orvieto only has Hertz)
Chiusi has Avis and Budget. It’s right on the train line to Rome and not far from Montepulciano.
(Rental agencies are closed on Sun, close at noon on Sat, close mid day weekdays from about 12-4)

From Chiusi take train to Rome.

We always use AutoEurope.com for our rentals. You can check online to see what your options are.

Rome 4 nights- I’d consider this a bare minimum for Rome

That is 12 nights.

If you can add a few nights- I’d give 1 more to Rome and 1 more to Florence. I just don’t like 2 night stays!

Thank you so much for all the info Christine. There’s a lot there. Hopefully things will get more clear when I can actually pin down our exact dates. Thanks again!

hey hey keggero
if flying to rome, i would travel to amalfi coast first (further away) then head back up to florence/rome. wanting to be near departing airport night before. may can be a busy/crowded time with many wanting to get away before summer and families. doesn't seem to be any off seasons anymore, so many travelers now days all over (europe, mainland united states/hawaii/mexico, canada etc)
planning and researching flights, look at RT or multi-city (not 2 one ways), know that check in is 3-4pm and check out 10-11am, if not either drop off bags at hotel (if apts some may not offer drop off) or luggage stored at train station or similar, rent room day ahead of arrival and inform what's happening so check in will be easy.
wine is everywhere in italy, not only the tuscany area. when in rome get away from the cowds & hustle/bustle.
beautiful countryside day trip: castelli romani (click contact pierpaolo to take 4 people and plan what you want)
take the 30 minute train rome to frascati and guide will meet you for tour, where the pope has his summer villa and gardens, known for white wine & few wineries to visit, small villages, ceralli bakery with the "best porchetta" and many other goodies sold here
lacucinaitaliana.com/buxom cookie from frascati
italymagazine.com/lake nemi and it's wild berry
older article telling you about area, the lake, known for strawberries with annual festival end of may beginning june
oldfrascati.com
read up about the winery and it's tours they offer, 30 minute train ride, and any interest in pizza making/wine tasting or wine tour with dinner/wine out on the piazza during evening hours.
eatingeurope.com
check locations (rome has jewish ghetto (walked through area, food & smells look yummy and taste of testaccio). order a gift card for yourself with offers of 20%, use promo code.
romeing.it/mercato centrale roma termini or mercatocentrale.com/rome
take a walk through this unique market, have lunch, dinner, glass of wine or beer. scroll down to click artisans and stores to wander around.
educated-traveller.com/wine windows of florence
read up about these windows and the history. a guide took us by here few years ago while being refurbished or remodeled, not open. go enjoy and people watch
tripsavvy.com/best beaches near rome
about an hour train ride from rome, take your pick, stay a few days, bars/restaurants/shops, sandy beaches, renting umbrellas or cabanas/some free access or private. just some ideas and different options to think about. have fun
GO NINERS!! aloha

Thank you Princess. I will definitely checkout those places near Rome.